Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-03
sATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1ss'
only BOARD md Clothes.

only BOARD and Clothes.
Some one entering the private OF
fee of old John Jacob Astor and be-
ing bewildered by the many evidences
of enormous wealth around him. con-
pratulated the millionaire on the su-
preme felicity of his lot. The phleg-
matte Knickerbocker replied: IL am
no better off than you-not SO we'll
off. All get from all this is board
and clothes, and have to work hard
er for it than you do" Whether one
will accept all the conclusions OF the
millionaire to the extent OF determln-
ing he will remain poor, securing his
leisure, and foregoing the dignity be-
slowed upon idleness by fat bank
account or not, there is good deal OF
indisputable philosophy covered under
the sardonic expression OF the found
er of the house of Astor. Whether
or not the rich man can extract
no more than board and clothes out OF
his millions, it is certain that most OF
ms have to be content as we can be un-
der the affiiction and remain so poor
that board and clothes is all we can
get out of life. A wide new world
rich in varied resources, with great
continent of fertile lands, ribbed by
mountains clad in valuable woods and
crammed with the richest ores in the
world, have afforded some opportunity
for those who braved the terrors OF
the wilderness and were hardy enough
to carve their way through all OBJ
stacles to amass large fortunes. There
have been episodes in the history OF
the American Union, like that now in
full swing in Los Angeles and South
-ern California. when it has been hard
for every man in the community
to avoid Gsbecoming really rich.
But even the New World has been
pretty well explored. A great
deal of its richest mines have been
rified of their treasures. The rich
prairie lands have been exhausted OF
much of their fertility, and will no
more yield thousand fold without
the trouble OF fertilization. We have
become dense population, and most
of that which was really attractive in
the public domain has become the
property Of the individual man. Even
the United States are fast becoming
reduced to the status of what are
named, perhaps, more or less thought
lessly "the effete monarchies OF
Europe" In all the States of what
was once considered the boundless
west, settlements have been made,
and cities have multiplied, until
everything has become reduced to a
settled basis. No more shall mere
f0rtuitous circumstance make every tel
low foolish and shiftless, as well
as the wise and sturdy, rich in spite ol
his poor business qualifications. 1t
has come to be that for vast number
of millions of people all there is left to
get out of life is board and clothes.
More than this; if the man is not pos,
sessed of some sense, more industry
and some frugality, the board will not
be sumptuous nor will he be able to
clothe himself in "fine linen every
day"
Reflections such as these may not
be the m ost pleasant, but they serve
to point a moral if not to adorn tale
It means just this: In the great west
farm lands are generally held at a
price used upon their profitable re-
turns to the man who exploits them
The ratio of interest is not above five
per cent. In very fact the lands
are now nearly all so sub divided tha
fhore is not even five per cent prof
TO be banked from making the little
farms. Each is merely little home
for the family which owns it, lives Oh
it and does all the work on it. BoarC
and clothes is all the family get out O
the farm. With all the toll of seed
time and harvest, bearing the heat O
the summer noon and the winte
morning, if at the end of the yea
theswestern farmer can make end
meet, and does not find his debts in
creased, he is well satisfied. TIL
wears of his life pass, he goes from
youth to old age toiling on three hun
dred and sixty-five days in the year
for board and clothes.
Now get our lands down to tina
basis. Estimate their value on
bssis of five per cent. profit. q
= step further and figure up hov
much of our fine soil will produce
board and clothes for an industriou